Stuart and Lucinda Hudgins, along with their children Jon and Kaitlyn, are the friendly folks that own Tommy's Gourmet Market and Wine Emporium. Don't be surprised to see them working behind the counter and at the register. It's a family-owned small town grocery and specialty gourmet food market on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
We moved to the Outer Banks in 1997 when our son, Jon was 13. Jon started working at Tommy's Gourmet Market and Wine Emporium when he turned 15 and has worked every summer and holiday since, cutting Angus Steaks and fresh seafood. He even came home every summer from college to help us with our grocery/gourmet business. If you miss his smile and charm, he graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2006. Since he was a little boy he has loved airplanes and knew he was going to be a pilot, so when he was awarded a scholarship from the Air Force ROTC he was thrilled. Upon graduation from college we were proud to pin his bars on his uniform as he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He is one of the select few that will begin pilot training in the fall. He is living his dream and loving it!
Kaitlyn started her training in the grocery/gourmet business at Tommy's Gourmet Market and Wine Emporium when she was only 10 years old. Although she likes the specialty food business she continues to amaze us with her scholastic achievements and will be leaving us for college before we know it. She maintains a 4.5 grade point average with AP and honors classes in addition to the 2 college classes she is taking in the evenings, and she's only a junior at First Flight High School. The real surprise is her success in track and cross country. At only 14 years old she was the High School Conference Champion for the 400 meter and has continued to be a Conference Champion for the past 3 years. Even with her academic and athletic achievements she still finds time to be actively involved in several community service organizations on the Outer Banks. Did we mention she also works in the family business? She is one of our best employees at Tommy's Market & Café - BAGELS TO BEEF in Southern Shores. Ok so we're just a little proud of our children.
As a family we enjoy traveling and experiencing what some might call semi-extreme sports. It was our own family reunion in a vacation home on the Outer Banks that brought us here to stay. We enjoy trying everything even if it's only once; hang gliding, parasailing, surfing, kite-boarding, hot air ballooning, ice climbing, back packing in Alaska, and sky-diving just to name a few. But the favorites aren't the water sports on the Outer Banks but flying, snowboarding, skating, and cycling are on the top of our list. Not sure how the winter sports became our favorite but the flying and cycling on the Outer Banks is great. Stuart even completed the "Cycle Across North Carolina" riding 482 miles on his "Seven" titanium and carbon bike without even a flat tire.
Along our travels we all enjoy shopping at the local grocery and gourmet markets and experiencing the regional cuisine. With the whole family appreciating gourmet food it's fun to search for the best food to bring back to the Outer Banks for the vacationer and the locals to enjoy.